Dawgs find way to take 2 from Bruins

♦ Cedartown tops NW Whitfield in doubleheader after dropping home game

Cedartown baseball shook off a poor start to last week’s series against Northwest Whitfield and ended up taking two out of three games against the stout Bruins. With the series victory, the Bulldogs are now first in the Region 7-4A standings.

Last Tuesday’s series-opener at the Dawg Pound did not go smoothly for the hometown team. Cedartown pitching was rocked for 12 hits on the day and their defense committed four errors. The lone bright spot for CHS’ offense came in the bottom of the second when Denver Nale singled to drive in MJ Holiday.

Northwest Whitfield, a perennial north Georgia power, scored four runs in the second, four runs in the fourth, and five in the fifth to hand the Bulldogs a 13-1 defeat in Polk County. That five-inning loss marked the first mercy-rule defeat Cedartown has suffered this season.

MJ Holiday led the way on offense, going 1-for-1 with a double and a run scored. Denver Nale (1-2, RBI), Britt Baxter (1-2), and Xavier Holiday (13) also picked up base-hits on the day.

Jay O’Neal was the starting pitcher and allowed two earned runs in two innings. The freshman phenom surrendered five hits and one walk while striking out four. Baxter pitched 2 2/3 inning and gave up four earned runs on seven hits and one walk. He tallied two strikeouts as well. Matthew Henslee pitched 1/3 of an inning in relief.

Fortunately for the Red-and-Black faithful who made the trip north on Friday afternoon, the return doubleheader in Tunnel Hill went much better for Cedartown. The Bulldogs used complete team efforts in both matchups to sweep the day and win the series outright.

The first showdown on Friday did not contain much hitting for either side. Both teams tallied just five hits each in the game. Despite this, the Bulldogs still found ways to get aboard and work their way around the bases. Cedartown scored two in the third inning, three in the fifth, and another run in the top of the sixth to control a 6-0 advantage.

Although Northwest Whitfield would get on the board inning, the Bulldogs would respond with another insurance run in the seventh, effectively closing the door in their 7-1 triumph.

Tony Ware (1-3, R) and Jack Roper (1-2, RBI) were the only Bulldogs with extra-base hits, as the two young outfielders each recorded a double. Cole Dingler finished 1-for-4 with two RBI and one run. MJ Holiday (1-3, RBI, R) and Jay O’Neal (1-3, R) had one hit each while Xavier Holiday (0-4, R) and Nale (0-2, RBI, R) found ways to impact the game despite being hitless.

MJ Holiday had another masterful start on Friday evening. The senior right-hander tossed five innings of scoreless ball. He gave up just four hits and struck out six batters on the night. Xavier Holiday, his younger brother, pitched two innings in relief and gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk. The sophomore picked up one K on the day.

A massive third inning blew the game wide open in the series-deciding Game 3. While sitting in a scoreless tie, the Bulldogs found a way to bat around and generate six runs in the top of the third against Northwest Whitfield in the series finale. Cedartown had six hits and one walk in that half-inning, but they were not done yet.

After three more scoreless innings, CHS struck for three more runs in the top of the seventh. With Xavier Holiday and Tony Ware on the basepaths, junior catcher Eli Barrow belted a home run to centerfield, giving the Bulldogs a ninerun cushion. A quick threeup, three-down bottom of the seventh followed, solidifying Cedartown’s 9-0 win and series victory over Northwest Whitfield.

Barrow was walked four times in the doubleheader on Friday but made the most of the plate appearances in which Bruin pitchers actually pitched to him.

In Game 3, the standout went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, three runs batted in, and one run scored. Xavier (2-3, 3 RBI, 2 R) and MJ Holiday (1-4, 2 RBI) also recorded doubles in the series finale. Others who reached on a base hit included Ware (1-3, 2 R, RBI), Dylan Matthews (1-2, R), O’Neal (1-3, R), and Dingler (1-4). Roper was hitless but did touch home plate once in the victory.

After pitching two innings in relief in Game 2, Xavier Holiday earned the start in Game 3. It proved to be a great decision by head coach Gevin Johnson: Holiday pitched four shutout innings and gave up two hits and one walk. O’Neal closed it out, tossing three innings and giving up just one walk. Holiday and O’Neal combined

for seven strikeouts in the shutout win, Cedartown’s third of 2022.

Following the exciting wins over Northwest Whitfield (8-9, 2-4), Cedartown (11-6, 7-2) found themselves alone atop the Region 7-4A standings. Heritage-Catoosa (117, 4-2), who was previously undefeated in region play, lost two of their three games last week against Pickens (11-6, 6-3). Central-Carroll (12-7, 5-4) swept Southeast Whitfield (3-16, 1-8), while Ridgeland (6-7, 2-4) was the only team that did not play last week.

The top two teams in the region are set to square off this week. Pickens, who stole a game from Cedartown last year, will host the Bulldogs on Tuesday evening in Jasper. First pitch of the series opener is set for 5:30 p.m. The two teams will then duke it out at Cedartown High School on Friday for a doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m.